Storm destroys bridge for mice in Wales, closes busy road

A busy road in Wales was closed this week after a $275,000 bridge built to allow mice to safely cross to the other side collapsed in a storm, according to the South Wales Evening Post.

The protective netting around the bridge in Church Village, near Pontypridd, fell and officials closed the road for more than two hours for “health and safety reasons.”

The bridge was built in 2010 – amid skepticism from critics who accused local officials of wasting taxpayers’ money – to “protect local ecology.

"Dormice are threatened, hence the highest level of protection afforded to them via the EU Habitats Directive and the special treatment required in this instance,” a spokesman for the Countryside Council Wales told the South Wales Evening Post.

Authorities are investigating the extent of the damage to the bridge before repairs take place.